The Dark Side Of Erectile Dysfunction Pills
17 Jun 2026 · 12 min
In this episode of the Sexual Health for Men podcast, Dr. Anne Truong MD addresses listener concerns about sexual health, focusing on two main questions: whether masturbating without ejaculation harms the testicles and whether daily low‑dose Cialis (or other PDE5 inhibitors) is safe after age 40. She explains that withholding ejaculation does not inherently damage the testicles, but persistent testicular pain warrants prompt urologic evaluation with imaging (ultrasound, possibly CT) to rule out clots, cysts, infection, or cancer. Dr. Truong then outlines the long‑term side‑effects of chronic PDE5 inhibitor use, highlighting documented risks of hearing and vision loss, and advises that these medications should be used as needed rather than continuously. She emphasizes that erectile dysfunction is often a symptom of underlying vascular, hormonal, or lifestyle issues. The core recommendation is to treat the root cause through a Mediterranean‑style diet, regular aerobic activity (≈7,000 steps/day, stair climbing, squats), adequate sleep, reduced alcohol and tobacco use, and stress management (recognizing stress as a perception). She frames erection as an innate, evolutionarily conserved function, arguing that the body signals dysfunction to protect overall health. Practical dietary guidance is provided: half the plate with lean protein (alternating fish, chicken, pork, limited red meat) and half with fruits and vegetables, with whole‑grain bread and fruit for dessert. The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to engage on social media, obtain her free guide, and subscribe for more content.
Chapters
Is masturbating without releasing actually damaging your testicles? And if you're taking a daily pill like Cialis After 40, are you secretly making your ED worse in the long run? Today we're talking about the warning signs your body is sending you down there, from unexplained pain to the long-term side effects of ED meds that nobody talks about, like hearing and vision loss. Plus, I'll reveal why fixing your erections is actually a lot simpler than you think, and why your body wants to do it naturally.
Let's get into it.
This podcast is for you, the modern man. I'm Dr. Anne Truong MD, your host. I'm an intimate health medical doctor and bestselling author of the book Erectile Dysfunction Fix. I'll do a deep dive into sexual health and performance and how it affects men of all ages and backgrounds. So let's get started and be sure to visit my website at sexualhealthformenpodcast.com for more information and resources from the show. See you on the inside.
One thing I noticed that if I masturbate and don't release, and if I repeat it like 2 out of 3 times I see the testicle area is wire painting. You feel that the testicle is painful? Is it harmful? You masturbate, you don't release? Well, I'm not quite sure what question entails. So if you masturbate, you don't release, it shouldn't really affect the testicles and it shouldn't really cause any pain to the testicle. I mean, a lot of men do not ejaculate with orgasm, so that shouldn't be painful to your testicles unless there are other things going on organically in your testicles. So if your testicle is painful, you need to go see a urologist and you need to get an ultrasound, that testicle, to see if there's any type of blockage or any type of hydrocele. If the pain in your— you need to find out that the structure It's okay. Sometimes it could be a clot. Sometimes it could be a swelling in the testicle. But holding on to that ejaculation shouldn't be painful to the testicle. All right? Lots of men do that. My advice is you go see your urologist and get some imaging study done because one thing you should not do, guys, is that if your testicle is painful, don't sit on it. You need to get evaluated because it could be a clot. It could be a cyst. Okay. It could be an infection. It could be cancer. So all of that can be evaluated through an ultrasound and sometimes maybe even a CT scan, but need to get evaluated. If you don't, then you never know what's happening. Don't try to treat it on your own because if it's painful and it lingers, it doesn't go away, you need to get it evaluated. Okay? There's a question here about Cialis. Is there any issue taking Cialis at the low dose daily for a long period of time? And definitely after the age of 40. In long-term studies, well, why are you taking Cialis? You're taking Cialis for ED. When you say low dose, it's between 5mg or 10mg. Every medication has the side effects. In fact, one of the side effects of PDE5 inhibitors or medication like Cialis and Viagra, you can have hearing loss. You can have visual loss. Those are like the long-term side effects. It's a thing that is common, hearing loss and visual loss. So you have to consider the long-term side effects versus the benefit. So if you're taking Cialis low dose, you're taking it for erection, but maybe you need to be looking at why you have ED. And maybe is it a blood flow problem? Then if it's a blood flow problem, then you need to fix your diet and your exercise and moderate your alcohol, stop smoking, and a good sleep routine.
Mm-hmm.
But I wouldn't advise taking it every day until the day you die after 40, because every medication does— has a side effect. So if you have ED, you want to work on the root cause of why you have ED. And so there are definitely long-term side effects, hearing loss and visual loss as well. So medication like Cialis and Viagra should be taken as needed. However, I know that some men take Cialis for prostate issues as well at low dose. So There are some benefits, but if you can work at resolving the root cause of your ED, you may not need to be on medication. Who wants to take medication for long term, for every day? Because your body don't need medication to have an erection when you are younger. Why do your body need it now? Do you need it now? Because it needs to be nurtured. It needs to be restored for it to function properly. Every medication has a side effect if you take it long term, but if you can restore your erection with just treating the root cause, then you will not need Cialis. So that's kind of a long-winded answer for that. Low dose, even 2.5 milligrams, 2.5 milligrams is still a medication. Now just know that when you take a medication, guys, it's something foreign in the body. Medication is synthetic made. It's made in the lab. So it's not made at the same component as organic stuff that's in your body. And so anything that is non-organic or anything that is synthetic, your body's going to react to it. It's going to see it as a foreign substance. Mm-hmm. Substance in the body and it's going to react to it. So medication itself is not good for your body, but the reason why we take medication is to control the adverse effect of a condition that causes it. But if you have a way to not take the medication, then that's the better option than not to take the medication. Because you take the medication, you're going to have to face with the side effects of the medication.
Mm-hmm.
on top of the benefit of the medication, if you know what I'm talking about. Okay. So just be aware of that. I'm not a big medication person at this time. And I believe in that if you can treat the root cause of the problem, then you don't need a medication for your body to function. Now, for a man to have an erection, it's really a natural process. It's built into your body to have an erection. It's like blinking, like blinking your eye. So it's built into your body to have an erection since puberty, and it is one of the oldest bodily functions for a human being. And in fact, your brain has a dedicated center just for sexual function, and it's the center— in the center between your ears and your eyes. It's the deepest part of your brain. It's the oldest part of your brain.
Mm-hmm.
Even salamander has this as well. So where I'm getting at this is that for a man to get an erection, it's innate part. It's a primitive part of your body to be able to do this. And it's a natural response. So when something that is natural, that is built for you to work properly, when it's not working, you need to fix that. You need to fix the why it's not working. 'Cause your body is geared towards making it work. And so your body wants you to have an erection, but if you're not having it, then you need to find out why and fix that problem for it to function again. At its basic, human beings are geared towards reproduction or procreation to continue the human line. And your erection's one of the most primitive pathway for survival. And when it's not working, your body is saying, "Hey, fix this because there's something wrong." Your body's giving you a warning sign there's something wrong. Something wrong that's gonna affect your heart later on, it's gonna affect your brain later on. And so your body is saying, "Something's wrong, fix this." But you don't wanna like take another medication to cover it up. 'Cause you cover it up, the problem's only gonna get worse. If you take ED medicine, your ED is only gonna get worse. It's not gonna resolve your ED. It's just a band-aid for now. So just know that your body wants you to have an erection.
Mm-hmm.
And you just need to help it restore balance again. And oftentimes it's just as simple as changing your diet, eating more healthy. Like just follow the Mediterranean diet. Mediterranean diet is essentially just eat more vegetables, more fruit, lean meat. Don't eat anything in a can or a bag. That's really it. And then exercise. So what's exercise? Like walking 7,000 steps a day or 30 minutes a day and walking up and down the stairs and doing squats 3, 4 times a week. And if you mind what you eat and if you just do the simple exercise, you will not gain weight. You will not gain weight. If you eat healthy, you will not gain weight. It's when we don't exercise and we start sitting there munching on chips. The earth doesn't grow chips. The earth doesn't grow cookies. The earth doesn't grow cake or cereal. Okay, Modern Man, if you're struggling with weak erection, low energy, the food you eat could be the big part of the problem. One of the best research-backed ways to boost circulation, support healthy testosterone, and improve sexual performance is the Mediterranean diet. It's packed with food that open up your blood vessel, lower inflammation, and fuel your hormone naturally. I've seen men notice real improvement in both energy and erection within weeks when they shift to this style of eating. So, check out the Mediterranean diet link right here below and get that as soon as you can. Stronger testosterone and better erection. So, you just feed your body with the healthy component. And it will start functioning again. Sometimes it's as easy as just the diet and the exercise, getting adequate amount of sleep at night, and stop doing stuff that is causing inflammation, such as smoking and drinking too much alcohol. And can't stop stress. Stress is going to be there, but moderate it. You can moderate it. One of my coaches said, I never thought about it that way, is that stress is a perception, not a situation. It's the perception. Mm-hmm. Stress is in your thought. It is in your thought. So if you get stressed about something, it's in your thought. Now, if you were facing danger, physical danger, that's a different situation. But if it's not a physical danger, then stress is really a perception. All right? Just know that fixing your erection may be easier than you think, believe it or not. Sometimes when it's too easy, we don't believe it, right? But take it from me. I've worked with more than 7,000 men with ED. And sometimes if the man just change his diet, start exercising more, start losing the weight, you will see the testosterone level go up and he gonna start seeing more morning wood again. And so I have seen it happen multiple times. And trust me, I'm talking from experience. And sometimes it's that simple. It does take work. Eating healthy and exercise and all that take time away, take work from us, especially nowadays. Essentially, guys, it's really, you have a plate filled with either fish, chicken, pork, and red meat, but just alternate it. Don't eat red meat every day. Alternate it with fish and chicken and pork. So that's half of your plate, and the other half should be fruits and vegetables. Any fruit, any vegetables. Just fruit and vegetables. Just eat what the earth grow for you. Eat what the earth give you.
Mm-hmm.
Earth doesn't give you soda. Earth doesn't give you alcohol either. Alcohol is man-made, right? So if you just think of the plate like that, then makes everything easier. You can eat a sandwich. It's okay. Bread. You can eat a sandwich a day or 2 slices a day. That's good. And for dessert, eat fruit. Sometimes that's really all you need. In fact, you may even save more money if you follow that plan. So it will give you more energy when you eat more healthy, but you, if you give your body what it needs, it will reward you. It will reward you in more energy, weight loss, and better sleep as well.
Thanks for listening to the Sexual Health for Men podcast. If you love this episode, then please take a screenshot on your phone and post it on Facebook, Instagram, or wherever you post, and be sure to tag me and let me know why you like this episode and what you'd like to hear in the future. That will help me know what's great for you, and I would love to give you the most incredible free gift designed to help you improve performance quickly. Go to my website at sexualhealthformenpodcast.com to get the book, The 5 Common Costly Mistakes Men Make When Facing ED. I would appreciate if you subscribe, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, and just know that you can have sexual Vitality for Life. I appreciate you. Until next time.
